Pappus

A structure consisting of feather-like bristles or hairs attached to seeds (most often of the Aster family - Asteracea or Compositae) to help them disperse by means of wind.

Illustration from Plant Identification Terminology, An Illustrated Glossary, by James G. Harris and Melinda Woolf Harris, Second Edition, Spring Lake Publishing, Spring Lake, Utah - used with permission of publisher

Pappus